Fresh round of RGF support for manufacturers

Occupiers in the aerospace and automotive sectors based in Merseyside can get their hands on loans and grants from a newly launched £19m supply chain support programme.

Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, alongside three Midland-based LEPs, this week launched a further round of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative Fund.

This scheme will see £19m available to companies that want to create globally competitive supply chains covering aerospace and automotive, and forms part of the original Regional Growth Fund bid from the four LEPs launched last year. It is delivered in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation agency, on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.

Alan Welby, director of the Liverpool LEP, said: “This round is much more simplified and will enable more companies to benefit from the fund. Now, instead of just submitting a full application, a local LEP representative will support a company to help them to submit an initial Expressions of Interest. These will then be assessed with feedback provided which will determine whether they should progress to submit a full application.”